GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney ostensibly went to London in recent days to show American voters his skills in foreign diplomacy.

Instead, he put his foot in his mouth in a big way[1] when he criticized British Olympics preparations — calling them “disconcerting” — and suggested that many Londoners may opt to skip the games.

British Prime Minister David Cameron apparently was not amused.

“We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere,” an apparent reference to Salt Lake City, which hosted the winter Olympics that Romney oversaw.

Romney later tried to walk back the comments, saying he expected the games to be “highly successful” and that would become evident once the athletes take center stage.

Nevertheless, the British press pounced. The Telegraph published a commentary piece by Alex Spillius[2] with this introduction: “Mitt Romney is perhaps the only politician who could start a trip that was supposed to be a charm offensive by being utterly devoid of charm and mildly offensive.”